Railway brake beam assembly



y 1951 R. H. GAV ER 2,551,938

' RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND H.GAVER- ATT NEYS.

y 1951 R. H. GAVER 2,551,938

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RAYMOND H-GAVER- [2 wfi ATT NEY R. H. GAVER I RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY May 8, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 25, 1946 f INVENTOR. RAYMOND H. GAVER.

J52? M ATT NEYTS.

Patented May 8, 1951 RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY Raymond H. 'Gaver, Warren, Ohio, assignor to The American Welding 8.4 Manufacturing Com pany, Warren, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 25, 1946, Serial No. 686,238

4 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to vehicle braking means and more particularly to a novel railway brake beam and a novel strut member for brake beam assemblies.

In conventional railway braking assemblies a brake beam is provided for each pair of Wheels, extending from a point above one rail to a point above the other rail and terminating in end portions secured to brake heads. these beams in use, because of its substantial construction and its position with respect to the wheels, is likely to result in derailment of truck and car carrying the beam. Such failures, which are due to flexing of parts of the beam under repeatedly applied loads, are not rare. Although the problem of preventing breakage of brake beams and resulting derailments is an old one, a satisfactory solution to it has never heretofore been conceived, to the best of my knowledge. In any event brake beam fatigue failure at present is frequently a direct cause of car and train derailment.

The present invention in one form enables a reduction of in the number of brake beam failures. In another form, which is not incompatible with the first mentioned form, my invention enables an 85% reduction in the number of such failures. Thus by means of this invention 95% of all brake beam failures in use, and a corresponding number of all railroad truck and "car derailments resulting from such failures, may be prevented. Furthermore, although this invention enables a tremendous savings in the operating and maintenance expense of railroad rolling stock, it is readily manufactured and assembled by economical mass production techniques. In some instances it is more easily installed and dismantled than conventional braking means. Moreover it is fully as effective for braking purposes as present conventional means and does not require the service and inspection attentions customarily incident to the use of such means.

Those skilled in. the art will gain a further understanding of this invention by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway car truck equipped with braking assemblies embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the truck of Fig. 1 with portions broken away for clarity;

Figure 3 is a perspective View partly in section of the brake beam of Figs. 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the brake beam of Fig. 3 with the brake shoes removed;

Failure of one of beam of Fig.

' Figure 5 is a plan View partly in section of the 3 with the brake shoes removed; and,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the nut retaining means illustrated in section in Fig. 5;

The brake beam of this invention generally comprises a compression member, a tension member, a strut extending between and connecting said members, and means for securing the tension and compression members in position with respect to each other so that there is sub stantially no tendency for the tension members to flex when forces are applied to the brake beam.

The illustrated brake beam more specifically comprises a compression member C, two brake heads H having apertures receiving end portions of the compression member, two tension members T having threaded end portions and extending through the said apertures of the brake heads, a strut S attached to the compression member and the tension members, and means M including cooperating curved surfaces for resolving forces applied to one of the tension members into forces paralleling the said member. Means including a lever L and nuts N are also provided for actuating the brake beam and for securing the tension members in the assembly, respectively.

The compression member C is an elongated metal channel bent in its mid-section in such manner that the end portions of the channel are disposed toward engagement with the tension members, and the central portion is disposed away from engagement with said members. Four lugs ll are secured in pairs near the ends of the member C on the leading edges of the sides of the said member. In assembly, the channel is disposed with its side portions substantially horizontal.

The brake heads H are of conventional design and are each provided with an aperture H for receiving an end portion of channel C. The aperture H receives an end portion of a tension member which extends through the head and is securely attached thereto. The heads are each further provided with an aperture 52 for receiving a portion of a hanger yoke 53 by means of which the brake beam assembly is attached to an upper portion of a railway car truck. In operating assembly a brake head is disposed at each end of channel C and is fitted with a brake shoe 54 facing the periphery of the wheel to be braked.

The two tension members T are substantially straight, elongated bolts having threaded end portions and hexagonal head portions. The head ama end portions extend through the apertures H of the brake heads and the threaded end portions are disposed substantiall adjacent to each other so that the said bolts define in plan view a V- shaped tension member. The threaded ends of the bolts are disposed at a substantial distance from the channel C and the head end portions are disposed practically in engagement with the end portions of the said channel, being received between the end sections of the sides of the channel.

The strut S is a relatively short, substantially straight member having an apertured end portion to receive the channel C, a central portion 22, and an open apertured end portion 23 partially defined by opposed end walls 24 which extend outwardly at substantially equal angles from the central portion 22. The end walls 26 together with relatively closely spaced side walls with which they are integrally formed define the generally rectangular open end of the strut shown in Fig. 4. The side walls 25, unlike end walls 24, substantially parallel each other and are disposed apart to receive the nuts on the ends of the tension bolts and to prevent rotation of said nuts thus received. Each of the Walls 24 is provided with a cylindrical aperture 21 of substantially the same diameter as the tension member extending through it. The axis of this aperture in each instance is disposed at substantially right angles to the surface of the wall 24.

The channel receiving end of the strut is provided with an aperture 28 to receive a key 29 to secure the channel C and the strut together so that movement of the strut with respect to the channel is not possible under ordinary operating circumstances. The key 29 is of conventional design and is employed in conventional manner.

The central section of the strut is provided with a slot-like aperture 30 opening through opposed side surfaces of the section 22. In opposed portions of the section 22 between the slot-like openings in the surfaces of the strut, substantially cylindrical apertures 3| are provided. These apertures 3| are substantially coaxial and their axes are disposed at substantiall right angles to the long dimension of aperture 30.

The means M comprises spherically seated washers which are disposed under the heads of the tension bolts and under the nuts N engaged with the threaded end portions of the bolts. Each washer pair includes a washer having a concave surface and a substantially plane surface, and a second washer having a substantially plane surface and a convex surface. The plane surface of the convex washer in each instance has substantially the same shape and area as the portion of the bolt head or nut to be engaged therewith. The radius of curvature of the convex and concave surfaces of each pair of washers are substantially the same so that these washers may be intimately engaged through said surfaces.

The nuts N are of standard hexagonal shape and are engaged with the threaded end portions I edges of the end portion engaging the head are bent to define a channel to receive and engage upper surface portions of the opposed faces of the head.

In assembling the brake beam of this invention, strut S is slipped over an end of channel C and moved to substantially the mid or vertex portion of the channel, where it is fixed in place by insertion of key 29 into aperture 28. The head retainer clips 50 are slipped over the ends of the channel so that the edge portion of the enlarged end 5| of each clip is disposed between a lug pair l0 and the strut. The brake heads are engaged with the end portions of the channel C, each head receiving one of the said end portions in the aperture II. The clips 50 are bent over the brake heads to bring the apertures 53 in registry with apertures H of the brake heads. The tension bolts T are each provided with a spherically seated Washer pair 49 disposed under the heads of the said members, and are disposed in engagement with the clips 50 extending through the apertures 53 so that the substantially plane surface of the concave washers engage the portions of the clip bordering the apertures 53. Another spherically seated washer pair 49 is slipped over the threaded end of each tension bolt extending through aperture 21 of one of the walls 24 so that the plane surface of the concave member of the pair bears against the inner surface of the wall 24. A nut N is disposed in the open end of the strut in registry with the threaded end of the bolt T and the head of the bolt is rotated until the desired tightness of the bolt and nut is obtained. Finally, the free end portion of each clip is bent to engage top and side surface portions of the head of the bolt to prevent rotational movement of the nut with respect to the bolt.

This brake beam assembly is incorporated in the railroad car truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of a pair of hanger yokes 13, each of which yokes are secured to one of the brake heads and to the side frame of the truck. A brake beam actuating level L is then disposed through slot-like aperture 38 and secured to the strut by means of a pin 66, which extends through the apertures 3! of the strut and an appropriate registered aperture in the lever itself.

By drawing up the tension bolts, or by moving the lever L, or by other means, the washers of each washer pair will be caused to move with respect to each other Whenever there is a tendency for the forces thus developed to cause a flexing of the tension members, or either of them. The eiiect of these washer pairs therefore is to resolve forces applied to the tension members into lines parallel to long dimensions of said members so that substantially no flexing of the members can occur under ordinary operating circumstances.

Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the apparatus of this invention may be modified in various respects without departing from the spirit and the scope of the appended claims. The tension bolts may, for instance, be rep-laced by a single V-shaped tension member, the strut taking the conventional form and having a looped end portion to receive the midsection of said member and maintain it in position with respect to the mid-section of the channel.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A brake beam assembly comprising an elongated compression member, two brake heads having openings to receive end portions of said member, tension means including two members extending at angles to the compression member and arranged substantially end to end with their remote ends projecting through said brake head openings, a strut carried by the compression member and receiving adjacent ends of said tension members, and means for resolving forces applied to the tension members into forces paralleling the said tension members, said means ineluding pairs of mating curved bearing surfaces washers on the tension members and disposed between the remote end portions of the tension members and adjacent supporting brake head structure and between the other ends of said tension members and adjacent supporting structure portions of the strut.

2. A brake beam assembly comprising an elongated compression member, two brake heads having openings to receive end portions of said member, tension means including two members having threaded end portions and extending at angles to the compression member and arranged substantially end to end with their remote ends projecting through said brake head openings, a strut carried by the compression member and receiving adjacent ends of said tension members, means for resolving forces applied to the tension members into forces paralleling the said tension members, said means including pairs of mating curved bearing surface Washers on the tension members, and nuts screwed on the threaded end portions of the tension members and bearing against the said washer pairs in place between said nuts and the brake heads and the strut.

3. A- brake beam assembly comprising an elongated compression member, two brake heads having openings to receive end portions of said member, tension means including two rod-like members having threaded end portions and extending at angles to the compression member and arranged substantially end to end with their remote ends projecting through said brake head openings, a strut for securing the compression and tension members together, and means for resolving forces applied to the tension members into forces paralleling the said tension members, said means including pairs of mating curved bearing surface washers on the tension members, and nuts screwed on the threaded end portions of the tension members and bearing against the said washer pairs in place between said nuts and the brake heads and the strut, said strut having a transversely apertured end portion to receive said compression member, an elongated central portion, and an open apertured end portion defined by two side walls and two opposed outwardly flared end walls integrally formed with said side walls, said end walls having transverse apertures to receive adjacent ends of said rod-like members extending at substantially right angles to said walls.

4. A brake beam assembly comprising an elongated channel compression member, two brake heads having openings to receive end portions of said member, tension means including two elongated threaded end bolts extending at angles to the compression member and arranged substantially end to end with their threaded end projecting through said brake head openings, a strut for securing the compression member and tension members together, and means for resolving forces applied to the tension members into forces paralleling the said tension members, said means including pairs of mating curved bearing surface washers on the tension members under the bolt heads and on said threaded ends; and nuts screwed on the threaded ends of the bolts and bearing against the washer pairs in place between said nuts and the brake heads, said strut having a transversely apertured end portion to receive said channel, an elongated central portion, and an open apertured end portion for receiving the heads of said bolts and preventing rotational movement of said heads with respect to said strut, said open end portion being defined by two side walls and two opposed outwardly flaring end walls integrally formed with the side walls, said flared end walls extending at substantially right angles to the respective bolts.

RAYMOND H. GAVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,874 Moline Apr. 29, 1947 604,456 Burgess May 24, 1898 1,454,168 Hedgcock May 8, 1923 1,947,580 Mohun Feb. 20, 1934 2,005,927 Baselt June 25, 1935 2,094,037 Kadar l- Sept. 28, 1937 2,319,440 Busse May 18, 1943 2,436,263 Moline Feb. 17, 1948 

